Headspace is a 'gym membership for the mind'

By Sonya Davidson

I've been half joking about wanting to get away and going to one of those retreats that forces you to completely unplug and just be silent for a few days. To just be one. Sounds a little too zen for some but a few of my friends have said "if you find someting I'll come with you." Well, that would defeat the purpose and it's only wishful thinking (they're super expensive) but I've been particularly paying attention to mindful of ways to bring some sense of awareness back into my daily life. Are you with me? We've been running on this hamster wheel of productivity for a very long time thanks to technology.

You may have heard of Headspace? The mobile app (available on iTunes and GooglePlay) launched in London, UK in May 2014 and quickly gained attention. Today, the app has over 2 million active users across 150 countries and marries technology with old world meditation techniques. 

Co-Founders Rich Pierson and Andy Puddicombe visited Toronto this past week to meet with Toronto's media and influencers to introduce the app  and lead us through a 10 minute meditation session. 

The story is quite interesting as the two guys just seem like your average blokes. Andy Puddicombe made a life changing decision to drop everything he was doing and moved to Asia and became a Buddhist monk. He trained for over 10 years around the world. He eventually returned to the UK and set up his own meditation consultancy. His clients grew to include politicians, atheletes and business leaders. 

Rich was one of UK's greatest creative minds  in the advertising world and seeked out Andy for his meditation services and that's where Headspace started. The company actually started in 2010 as an event company and the demand was great. Attendees loved what they had learned so the two realized that by making the techniques more accessible, many more people could experience the benefits of meditation.

"I don't take any credit for the techniques," said Puddicombe. "The techiques are nothing new and based on what I've learned from Buddhist philosophy and practices." 

But what they did explain at the event was that they wanted to demystify what generally people think about meditation and that it can be accessible for everyone. "Even the blokiest bloke in the room," said Puddicombe.

It's not just all in your head, though. There's plenty of scientific research to support the benefits of meditation. Headspace's staff also includes Dr. David Cox, Chief Medical Officer, who continues to do further research on the subject. Headspace also received great attention last year in a BBC scientific documentary that investigated personality change and neuroplasticity by using the app with positive results. 

How does it work? Puddicombe mentioned that we spend hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars on taking care of our physical body - from work outs to special diets but our minds are equally as important. That's why they call Headspace a 'gym membership for the mind'. The purpose of this app is to help users learn a skill for life for whatever your needs or concerns may be...maybe you want to sleep better or stress less or even want more clarity and to be more focused. There are even ways to help with creativity! Beginners are asked to do this for 10 minutes each day for 10 days (free trial). I'm doing this now. He tells us the best time of day to do this is in the morning before you get your day going and It's actually Puddicombe's voice that leads you through and it's all very simple. 

Beyond the 10 day trial, you can subscribe to personalize your meditation series that include areas of health, relationships and performance. Have a moment of anxiousness? There are S.O.S. sessions available.

There are hundreds of hours of content available to help live a more focused, happier and healthier life. 

We all want that, right?

Website Link: www.headspace.com